Access and engagement - State Library of Victoria

Exhibitions
The exhibitions program focuses upon the
permanent exhibitions in the Dome Galleries and
the temporary exhibitions in the Keith Murdoch
Gallery, as well as other displays elsewhere
in the Library.
Permanent Exhibitions
Cowen Gallery
The Cowen Gallery features a permanent display
of 150 paintings and marble busts from the
Library’s Pictures Collection and remains popular
with both school groups and the public.
A number of temporary displays were
shown in the Cowen Gallery, including a small
display of musical sheet music, diaries and
other material to support the Musical
Treasures program.
Total number of visitors: 128,064
(107,065 in 2006–07)
Dome Galleries
The changing face of Victoria
Dome Galleries – Level 5
As the custodian of Victoria’s memory, the Library’s
collections record and refl ect upon the people,
places and events that have shaped life here
from first contact between Europeans and
Aboriginal people to today. This exhibition brings
these objects and stories to light through an
ever-changing display of pictures, manuscripts,
maps and objects, ranging from historical artifacts
to items from daily life.
The number of collection items
on display is approximately 300,
with between 70 and 100 per cent
rotating in May and October.
Total number of visitors: 108,922
(74,180 in 2006–07)
Mirror of the World: books and Ideas
Dome Galleries – Level 4
This exhibition showcases many of the rare,
beautiful and historically signifi cant books held
in the collections of the State Library of Victoria
and celebrates books as keepers of ideas,
knowledge and the imagination, as well as our
special relationship to them as writers and
readers. It also provides a window into the history
of book production and illustration through the
display of fi ne examples dating from the Middle
Ages to today.
The number of collection items
on display is approximately
290, with 100 per cent of
items rotating each year.
Total number of visitors: 178,868
(106,890 in 2006–07)
Image
William Thomas Strutt, Black Thursday, February 6th, 1851, 1864.
Rehung in the Cowen Gallery in 2008 after conservation treatment
Temporary Exhibitions
Keith Murdoch Gallery
Famous: Karin Catt Portraits
13 July–11 November 2007
This National Portrait Gallery exhibition of
portraits by US-based photographer Karin Catt
was one of the most popular exhibitions ever
shown at the Library, attracting large audiences
of fi rst-time visitors.
Launched by Marilyn Darling, Chair of the
National Portrait Gallery, and curated by Simon
Elliott, former Deputy Director of the National
Portrait Gallery, Famous explored contemporary
notions of celebrity portraiture with a series of
large-scale photographic images of musicians,
actors, writers, fi lm directors and politicians.
The theme of popular culture was supported by a
strong exhibition design and an exemplary
marketing campaign. The exhibition was sponsored
by Yarra Trams.
The associated events program explored
the exhibition’s themes with a series of events
that included guided tours of the exhibition by
the curator and artist, a panel discussion of the
nature of fame and celebrity, and a panel
discussion about how magazines and fashion
shape society’s views and priorities. A number
of youth programs and children’s activities
complemented the exhibition.
Total number of visitors: 81,133
Victorians on Vacation
30 November 2007–9 March 2008
Victorians on Vacation celebrated holidays and
leisure in Victoria since the mid-19th century –
from sea-bathing in St Kilda to bush-camping
and caravanning. Curated by Clare Williamson,
the exhibition drew on the Library’s collections
and showcased a wide range of historical
and contemporary material, including evocative
photographs, colourful travel posters and
postcards, guidebooks and maps.
The installation of the exhibition also
included a slideshow and nostalgic home movies,
made possible by loans from the National Film
and Sound Archive and ACMI. A free audio tour
of the exhibition was also available.
The exhibition was offi cially opened at
the Library by Greg Hywood, Chief Executive
of Tourism Victoria, on 29 November 2007.
The exhibition was supported by a range
of marketing and promotional material including
sponsorship by Bond Imaging, Yarra Trams and
V-Line as well as media partners 3AW and the
Herald Sun.
The associated events program included
guided tours, talks and panel discussions, and
a series of school-holiday activities included
animation and video workshops, an online photo
competition, an association with the Reading
Victoria program and a Family Fun Day on
Australia Day.
As well as a lavishly illustrated room
brochure, the exhibition was accompanied by an
online education resource, developed for teachers
by the Learning Services Division.
Total number of visitors: 27,998
Victorians on Vacation touring exhibition 2008–09
Victorians on Vacation is the fi rst major touring
exhibition developed by the State Library of
Victoria, with the assistance of Major Touring
Initiative funding from Arts Victoria.
Following its installation at the Library, the
exhibition is headed to four locations in regional
Victoria over two years: Sale, Mildura, Warrnambool
and the Mornington Peninsula.
The touring exhibition was opened by the
Hon. John Cain, President of the Library Board of
Victoria, at a function at the Gippsland Art Gallery
in Sale in April and was on display until 25 May.
A public program, which included a curator’s
talk by Clare Williamson and a teachers‘
preview for local schools, was well attended.
The exhibition was seen by 2533 people during
its display at the Gippsland Art Gallery, including
450 school students from throughout the region.
The tour of the exhibition is being managed
by National Exhibitions Touring Support
(NETS) Victoria.
The Medieval Imagination: Illuminated manuscripts
from Cambridge, Australia and New Zealand
28 March–15 June 2008
The Medieval Imagination was the first major
international exhibition developed by the Library.
Offi cially opened by the Premier, the Hon. John
Brumby MP, on 27 March, the exhibition was seen
by a total of 110,212 people, making it the most
popular exhibition in the history of the institution.
The exhibition was curated by Margaret
Manion AO, Emeritus Professor in Art History
at the University of Melbourne and a leading
authority in the fi eld of illuminated manuscripts.
The exhibition included 105 items from the
collections of colleges in Cambridge alongside
works from collections in Australia and
New Zealand.
A documentary DVD was also produced,
capturing behind-the-scenes events leading
to the launch of the exhibition.
A comprehensive events program,
sponsored by AAMI, was developed to support
the exhibition, which included guided tours, audio
tours, talks, musical performances, and lectures.
The Medieval Faire day (20 April), organised
by the Library to promote the exhibition, attracted
over 10,000 people, with a mix of talks and tours
of the exhibition, displays and presentation by
medieval enthusiasts and ‘living history’ groups,
and musical performances by the Early Arts Guild
of Victoria.
The academic conference, Imagination, Books
and Community in Medieval Europe, attracted
over 200 academics, students and enthusiasts
from across Australia to hear speakers from the
USA, Australia and New Zealand on topics including
medieval art, social history, music and literature.
The conference was supported by the Gordon
Darling Foundation, the ARC Network for Early
European Research, La Trobe University, Monash
University, the Melbourne College of Divinity and
the University of Melbourne.
The exhibition was also supported by a
fully illustrated, 288-page catalogue, published
by the Library in partnership with Macmillan Art
Publishing and sponsored by K.W. Doggett and
the Agnes Robertson Trust. An exhibition shop
in the foyer was managed by Reader’s Feast.
An online education resource was
developed by the Learning Services Division and
a special program for disadvantaged schools
was made possible by the John T Reid
Charitable Trusts.
The exhibition was presented by the State
Library of Victoria Foundation and was indemnifi ed
by the Victorian Government.
Total number of visitors: 110,212